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Norton to Speak at Rally with Labor Unions to Call for End of Trump Shutdown, Today

Jan 10, 2019

Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) is scheduled to speak at a rally today outside of the AFL-CIO headquarters (815 16th St. NW) hosted by more than 20 labor unions representing federal employees and federal contract workers to call on Republicans and President Trump to end the partial government shutdown.

“Many of us have spent nearly every day since Congress reconvened working and speaking out to end the Trump shutdown,” Norton said. “We have offered reasons and compromise to open the federal government. We have drawn attention to the 800,000 federal employees who want to go back to work and the federal contract workers who may never get back pay. I believe we are having a positive effect. The President’s primetime address and trip to the border this week appear to be aimed at bolstering poll numbers that show that Americans do not support this shutdown.

This week, Norton introduced a bill to guarantee back pay to low-wage federally contracted retail, food, custodial and security service workers not getting paid during the current federal government shutdown. She is also an original cosponsor of a bill to provide back pay to federal employees who are furloughed during the shutdown.